How Much Can You Earn as a Rover Pet Sitter?
If you love animals, then pet sitting can be a truly excellent job. I’ve done it myself as a side job many times over the years. For me, it’s just been a word-of-mouth thing. When I didn’t have pets of my own, I’d often volunteer to watch friends’ pets when they go out of town. It grew from there. But these days, there are apps such as Rover where you can sign up to get steady, regular pet sitting work. Just how much can you earn as a Rover pet sitter?
What Is Rover?
If you’re not familiar with it, Rover is a pet sitting app. People with pets can use the app to find a reliable, qualified pet sitter in their area. It’s available to pets in the United States, Canada, the UK, and other parts of Europe. Pet parents can use it at home or while on vacation.
Moreover, they can use it for a variety of different services, including:
- Daily walks (and potty breaks for the pets)
- Home visits to feed and check in on dogs and cats
- Pet boarding in the petsitter’s own home
- House sitting to watch the pet in their home
- Additional services such as grooming
Rover is for pet owners of both dogs and cats.
How Do You Earn As a Rover Pet Sitter?
If you like the idea of becoming a pet sitter, then Rover has an easy system to help you get started. Go to its website and click, “become a sitter.” You use its system to sign up as a petsitter. You have to meet basic minimum requirements and pass a background check.
Then you set up a profile letting people know what you’re willing to offer. Some of the things that you have control over include:
- Your schedule and availability
- The types, sizes, ages, and number of pets you’re able to watch
- Whether you do boarding and/or overnight pet sitting or are only available for walks
- If you have any special skills, such as experience working with animals that take medication or extra large dogs, for example
- Your prices; that’s right – you set your rates on Rover. Of course, you want to be competitive with others in your area for best results.
The more flexible you are on these things, the more potential you have to earn as a Rover pet sitter.
Are There Costs Involved?
There are minimal sitter and owner fees associated with using Rover. However, as a sitter, you also gain access to a lot of support that you wouldn’t have if you just started your own pet sitting business.
In addition to access to a whole network of pet owners, you receive other support. For example, if you have a vet emergency during your service, you have access to 24/7 Rover support to assist you with that. Moreover, Rover provides up to $25,000 in assistance for such cases. It’s not insurance, but The Rover Guarantee effectively works as an insurance alternative in the event of certain situations.
Generally speaking, other costs are minimal. The owners provide the food, the leashes, etc., for their animals. You may have gas costs if you’re driving a lot to get to your appointments. Some states require that you get a business license.
So How Much Can You Earn As a Rover Pet Sitter?
Although you’re working with Rover, you’re an independent contractor. Therefore, what you can earn has a lot to do with your choices. If you choose to work full-time, have lots of availability, have specialized skills, establish strong relationships to get recurring clients and charge a premium for your time, then you’re going to earn a good income. If you only get on the app once in a while, don’t have a lot of availability, provide very few services (only walks instead of overnight care, for example), and get bad reviews from your clients — you’re not going to earn as much.
Rover has often been cited as a place where you can earn about $1000 while working part-time. If you check out the Rover Help Community about this, responses vary as to whether or not that’s accurate. Jackie Beck of The Debt Myth recently reported earning almost $400 in her first month as a Rover pet sitter. She believes once you get your business going, it’s reasonable to expect to earn about $1000 / month.
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